


Jacob's Bakery

by Cantatrice18



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Love, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-10-07 16:17:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,132
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10364487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cantatrice18/pseuds/Cantatrice18
Summary: Weeks have passed since the rainstorm, and Queenie shows no signs of approaching Jacob, despite constantly watching his progress at the bakery. Finally Tina has had enough, and becomes determined to give her sister that final little push Queenie needs to open the bakery door and walk inside.





	

He'd chosen the spot even before he went in to get the loan: a perfect little storefront on the sunny side of a street just wide enough for cars but narrow enough to keep its charm. Buying the property was the proudest moment of his life, and he knew he had the skills to transform the modest building into a bakery people would walk miles just to see. 

He had not considered the buildings across the street. Why would he? All the storefronts were occupied. But because of this he did not know that behind the red brick and metal chimney that rose from the roof of the shoe shop there rested a square of solid wooden boards. No doubt they were meant to help chimney sweeps by giving them a place to stand. Certainly they could serve no other purpose, as reaching them was impossible without scrambling over the rooftops at risk of life and limb. But should a person reach the little square and stand just at the center of it, that person would have a perfect view of the little bakery below.

Queenie Goldstein found the little square even before Jacob signed the papers and took charge of the store. She was there waiting when he arrived with carpenters and plumbers, there when he chose the window treatments and the cheery glass-paned door, there when the painters stenciled the Kowalski name over the lintel. And though her wand remained securely stowed in the pocket of her dress, still the workmen found their jobs made mysteriously easier. The traces of water damage on the back wall disapppeared overnight, while a possible leak in the gas line fixed itself before a repairman could even be called. To everyone's surprise, and Jacob's delight, the bakery was ready to open a full three weeks earlier than planned. And open it did, with customers flocking to the door before the paint even dried on the sign. All the customers had an air of excitement about them, as though they'd anticipated the moment they'd be able to taste Jacob's pastries for weeks, if not years. And to Jacob's credit, not a single customer went away without crumbs around their mouth and a blissful expression on their face. 

Two weeks after the bakery opened, on a Wednesday evening at half past five, Queenie apparated onto her customary spot, only to find the space already occupied. She stumbled as the force of her apparition sent her careening away from the chimney, and might well have fallen off the roof had not a familiar arm grabbed her around the waist and pulled her upright. She looked up to find her sister balanced on the boards of the little square, black leather briefcase leaning casually on the chimney. Tina had obviously anticipated her arrival, even counted on it. "Teenie, what are you doing here?" Queenie asked, breathless from her near fall.

For answer Tina raised her eyebrows, looking pointedly at the bakery far below. Queenie followed her gaze and blushed a rosy pink. "I haven't talked to him or anything," she said defensively.

"I'm well aware of that," Tina replied curtly. "For nearly two months now you've done nothing but watch. Every day, before work and after, sometimes even on your lunch breaks."

"How do you know?" Queenie demanded. "Have you been following me?"

"Well of course I've been following you," Tina replied, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. "I'm an auror. Investigating is what I do."

"Well if you've investigated, you'll know that I haven't so much as passed Jacob in the street." Her blush deepened, but she held her head high. "There's no crime in watching, is there?"

"Oh, Queenie," Tina sighed, her expression a bit too understanding. "It doesn't have to be a crime to cause harm."

"I would never hurt him!" cried Queenie, appalled. "Not ever!"

"I don't mean him," Tina said gently. "I mean you. This watching is killing you."

"So you want me forget him, is that it?" Queenie accused. 

"No, I want you to talk to him."

"You want--what?" Queenie blinked in confusion.

"I want you to talk to him," Tina repeated. "I want you to go in there, order a pastry, and talk to him."

"I--" Queenie seemed stunned at this abrupt turn in the conversation. "I don't think I can."

"And why not?"

"I just--" Queenie looked away, startled to find her eyes filling with tears. "What if he doesn't recognize me?" she asked plaintively. "What if he doesn't remember?"

"Then at least you'll know." Tina rested a hand on her sister's shoulder. "Better to know the worst than live your life watching from afar. And even if he doesn't remember you, you remember him. You know how much this bakery means to him, how his grandmother taught him her recipes. Wouldn't it be nice, after all this time, to finally taste something he made?"

Queenie looked searchingly at her sister. "I didn't know you'd noticed that much about him. You never seemed interested." 

Tina smiled wryly. "It's rare for you to set your heart on someone so fast, Queen. Let's just say that I wanted to be sure he wouldn't hurt you."

"You sweetie." Queenie hugged her, causing both of them to wobble precariously on the wooden boards. Once they'd recovered their balance, Queenie straightened the collar of her pink coat. "I'll ask to buy his remaining rugalach," she said determinedly. "He didn't sell as many today, there are five left."

"Fine," Tina agreed. "Act like any other customer. Just see what happens."

"You'll wait here?" Queenie pleaded. "Just, you know...in case?"

"I'll be right here," Tina assured her. "You'd better hurry before he closes. Nearly all the other customers are gone."

Queenie swallowed hard, then nodded. With a small popping sound, she turned in place and disappeared. A moment later Tina saw her hurry out of an alleyway and across the street to stand in front of the bakery. She paused for a moment, then reached determinedly for the door handle and pushed the door open. From a distance Tina could just hear the tinkle of the bells attached to the door. Seconds passed, then minutes, with Tina's sharp eyes trained on the bakery. After five minutes she began to smile. After ten, with no sign of Queenie, she gathered up her briefcase and took one last look at the little shop. Queenie would come home eventually, and when she did she would be happier than she'd been in months. Tomorrow they would discuss the inevitable problems of a relationship with a No-maj, but for now Tina was content to leave her sister in peace. After all, it wasn't every day someone got a second chance to make a first impression.


End file.
